The John B. Caddell recently gained notoriety when she was grounded on a Staten Island street by Hurricane Sandy. In the following weeks, officials stabilized her hull and monitored her daily to ensure no residual oil spilled into the harbor.

John B. Caddell being lifted from Front Street on Staten Island. Photo: Will Van Dorp

Abandoned and unclaimed, she was lifted off the street six weeks after the super storm and nudged back into the water to be towed to DonJon Marine Company’s yard in Rossville, costing $25,000 in storage fees.

From the Staten Island Advance: The city can now attempt to recoup that cash after a Staten Island justice declared the 72-year-old vessel abandoned and ordered it sold at auction to the highest bidder.

State Supreme Court Justice Philip G. Minardo instructed the city sheriff to set a minimum price of $25,000 for the ship. The 185-feet-long oil tanker can’t be sold for less.

In the event the bidding minimum isn’t met, the city is free to sell or dispose of the ship “in whatever manner it sees fit,” the judge ruled. He ordered that any remaining proceeds, after deducting expenses and salvage fees, be put into escrow for a year for “any true claimant.” Read more here…